GARDENING AFTER HOUSTON'S HURRICANE HARVEY

Draining the Opuntia Pot

There are several ways to lose plants along the Texas coast. As a tropical gardener, FROSTS & FREEZES top the catastrophe list.

DROUGHT is second on the list followed by HEAT WAVES.

HIGH WINDS are always a concern for the canopy of trees so they're ranked number four.

WATER STANDING IN THE GARDEN FOR FIVE DAYS IS A NEW EXPERIENCE.

I have many types of plants besides tropicals, so let me share my newest learning curve.

As you might gather from the above image, this agave did NOT like the flood. We shall see about the rest in the weeks to come.

The herb garden was hit and miss. The lavenders are of course unhappy as are the rosemary.

Their thin, well-draining raised beds might save them in the long run. But it will be nip and tuck.

 Thyme abhors overwatering. And yet... it looks like its going to make it. I love having thyme in the garden. I wish I had more. ha ha

The zinnia bed was up near the street and literally washed away, but these Rudbeckias (though a bit wilted) look like they are going to recover. These are my favorite flowers and a nice gift from my gardening friend in Katy, Texas.

 They are the bright spot after the hurricane.

It is simply bizarre to see plants wilt after a flood. Usually I associate this behavior with drought conditions. This was a clerodendrum.

THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT TROPICAL GARDENING IS THIS...IT SEEMS NO AMOUNT OF WATER IS TOO MUCH FOR MOST TROPICAL PLANTS!

The gingers did fine!

The banana trees are reaching towards heaven and looking quite majestic.

I use pothos ivy as a ground cover in many parts of the shade garden. I can't believe this plant can sit in water for days and remain healthy. And yet...here they are along with purple Zebrinas! 

Wind gusts topped 45 mph from Harvey. My windmill palm is now leaning and the roots seem very weak from the many days of water-logged soil. It might be time to sing "Let it Go".

So long windmill palm. 

On the other hand,

these Chinese Fan Palms fared very well throughout the ordeal.

Our native Texas trees like this redbud in front of our home have adapted to the local climate for  thousands of years. Dealing with floods is in their survival guide.

I'll end with a view of my favorite tree, the live oak. Its nickname is the Hurricane Tree since it has a low, streamlined profile that can take heavy winds. This one is in a neighbor's yard, but I wish it was in mine!

*****

As I end this post, our first cool front has arrived and its cool for the first time in over three months. THE GARDEN IS CALLING AND I MUST GO!!!

Texas gardeners look forward to this first cool day like most people look forward to Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

David/:0)

RIDICULOUS FOOT NOTE:

Same species, same soil type, same light conditions, and same location...but not the same ending.

(Gardening is full of mysteries)

ZINNIAS ARE A GREAT CHOICE!

The new varieties of zinnias grow well all summer long here in Houston. Not that long ago zinnias were problematic due to our constant battle with powdery mildew.

Fortunately, the newer varieties are very disease resistant and bloom profusely with no deadheading needed. 

These low to the ground varieties are my favorite since they mix well with the agaves and yuccas.

They can take full sun or partial shade.

Zinnias are originally from Mexico so they can cope with the brutal summer heat of the South.

If you want to learn ALL about ZINNIAS, check out this link to the Chicago Botanic Garden.

They call them the hardest working summer flower. I agree!

https://www.chicagobotanic.org/plantinfo/smart_gardener/zinnias_hardest_working_flower_summer_garden

All for now. Enjoy your garden wherever you may be!

David/:0)

NEVER ALONE IN THE GARDEN

My garden friend over at Red House Garden just posted about all of her wildlife friends that she encounters while gardening. I thought it was such a great idea that I've decided to do the same.

Butterflies are a daily thrill. This one was found in the leaves this past Autumn.

It's a Gulf Fritillary.

Dragonflies are also a daily joy. This is a new one that follows me around when I water plants.

As I got closer and closer for a clear view, I also learned that someone else was closing in for a different reason.

Same agave point, only one split second later.

We have these green lizards everywhere in the garden.

It's called a Green Anole.

Hmmm.....that twig is misplaced. Yep, that's right. It's an inch worm doing a fine imitation.

I don't usually spot these when I'm in a hurry.

I use no pesticides or chemical fertilizers and have perhaps a dozen different species of bees in the garden.

Most are solitary like this bumblebee.

Since my bee population has gone up, I've noticed that my red wasp and yellow jacket wasp populations are way down. I don't like paper wasps, so I'm fine with the trade off.

Do you know what this is? It's called a twice-stabbed ladybeetle.

I found this one on a prickly pear. I've since read that they are one of the few insects that attack and eat scale. I hate scale on my Opuntia, don't you?

Read all about this wonderful creature right here:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/NE/twicestabbed_lady_beetle.html

The biggest surprise I've ever had was finding this leopard frog in my garden.

We had these out in the country when I was a small boy.

I've never imagined having one here in the middle of a huge city.

I've named him Leroy.

This insect showed up in my garden last month.

It's not a boxelder bug, but it's in the same family.

I'll be doing a follow up post on it soon.

I took this photo this morning. I'm finding black swallowtail caterpillars all summer since I've let the wild dill grow in the front garden. It's one of our wonderful native plants and makes a nice wispy ground cover.

Finally, let's talk about squirrels. I have a love/hate relationship with them. When they look like this one, I can't help but smile.

I'll end with this character. This dragonfly OWNS our backyard. He returns every year to our pond. I think it's called a Neon Skimmer.

Well that concludes our look at wildlife at Tropical Texana. Next time I'll write about our cats.

As you can see, it's a HOLE different topic.

Ha ha.

Thanks for stopping by!

David/:0)

INSULTED BY A COMMON FLOWER

At first I thought it was just matter of moving the plant to a sunnier spot.

No matter what, Ruellia nudiflora refused to bloom. So I did some research:

FULL ARTICLE:

http://www.academia.edu/3690773/Extreme_variation_in_the_reproductive_phenology_of_the_weed_Ruellia_nudiflora

I found out that this particular species of plant has both chasmogamous and cleistogamous flowers. 

Of course they do! Duh....why didn't I know this already. (just joking)

To put this in plain English, this little Ruellia has a secret: when grown under happy conditions, it decides to burst forth in lovely purple flowers (open-pollinated/chasmogamous flowers).

But when grown under STRESSFUL conditions, it decides to self-pollinate inside the seed capsule with no need for external flowers (cleistogamous, non-opening flowers...BORING!).

Since it seems to do this ALL the time in MY GARDEN, Ms. Ruellia nudiflora has declared to the world that living in my garden is somehow stressful!

This common little weed thinks my garden is...

STRESSFUL?!? 

I'm so hurt and so confused.

I've given all my plants a helping hand each time they've needed it.

I try not to monkey around with their environment.

I dream about giving them a happy home....

...and plenty of proper light.

I thought we were a big, happy family.

My other Ruellias are happy. This is Katie Ruellia. She looks happy. Doesn't she?

This is Ruellia brittoniana 'Chi chi'.  Is she happy? I think so. I'm so filled with self-doubt that I'm no longer sure of anything.

This is Ruellia 'Blue Shades'. It's not totally happy since it just got transplanted. But at least it's blooming.

I don't know the name of this Ruellia, but it pops up everywhere and seems to think my garden is a wonderful place. 

This shade-loving Ruellia will have purple flowers later in the season...as long as it remains...happy.

As of this morning I'm happy to report that one of the many Ruellia nudifloras  in my garden has finally bloomed.

I guess my garden is now a happy place...even to Ms. R. nudiflora.

Thank-you, Ms. Ruellia.

I'm no longer filled with self-doubt.

*************

That's it for today. Hope you have a happy garden &

thanks for stopping by.

David/:0) 

NOTE: The museum images are from my visits to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and the 

Art Museum of Southeast Texas in Beaumont.

I'VE ALLOWED A BEAUTIFUL TEMPTRESS INTO MY GARDEN...AND NOW I'M AFRAID

I don't like roses. 

But with the added hours of sunshine, my final excuse for not growing them has vanished.

My wife is all smiles.

As I take these pictures, my irritation over their thorny character starts to subside.

Reblooms bedazzle me. The things seem to NEVER stop blooming.

Their bright red sprinkles the sea of green with shouts of 'Look at me!'

I try to stay strong and force myself to remember that I don't like roses.

Last winter, this little temptress was covered by a fine layer of ice. As a photographer, I was enraptured.  My dislike for roses was melting away.

It doesn't help matters that one of the largest rose vendors in the country is just a short drive out to Washington County, Texas.

My wife LOVES the place. So every Spring we pick out exactly ONE rose to add to the garden.

These antique roses are tough little characters that seem to survive with a minimum of care.

Now we are picking fragrant roses to bring inside.

There's nothing like the smell of a great rose.

So there you have it....I have to admit I've been beguiled 

by these lovely creatures....just don't tell my wife!

                                             

That's it for today. If you have a favorite rose please share the name with me.

It just might end up here in my garden someday!

David/:0)

***********************

NOTES ON WHAT I GROW:

The Antique Rose Emporium website:

https://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/